Nautica will get the new pizza oven in June!

[clo]

I'm on a FB Nautica group since we're traveling on them the beginning of July '24. Someone recently commented that the ship is getting something done at this 'dry dock' in June. I asked if there were any rumors as to a pizza oven being installed. He said they ate with the CD and the upcoming CD and that it's definitely happening then and that they're very excited about it. Us also 🙂 We've started making killer pizza at home using a STEEL not STONE so will be interested in it. Just an fyi.

[Harters]

Having had the pizza in Waves on Vista the other week, this isnt something I'd be holding my breath over. We found the pizza OK but no better than OK - think good quality supermarket pizza, rather than your favourite pizza place at home. 

[clo]

3 hours ago, Harters said:

Having had the pizza in Waves on Vista the other week, this isnt something I'd be holding my breath over. We found the pizza OK but no better than OK - think good quality supermarket pizza, rather than your favourite pizza place at home. 

Thanks. I'm curious. Did you have slices or a whole pizza? I understand the latter was quite better. Regardless we'd only have it once. As said what we make at home is so, so good.

 

[MEFIowa]

Ate one of the whole pizzas from Riviera's pizza oven place at Waves in Nov 2023, on the last night before we came into Barcelona. Went and got it while wife was packing, so she'd have the room to herself. Created the exact toppings and style I wanted. Ate half and took rest to wife in our cabin. It was fine. But not something I consider special. We eat pizza dozens of times a year. It is far better than the truly mediocre pizza served at lunch in the TC. Was it up to a good Pizza Hut pizza? That's as high a rating I'd give it. Adds little to culinary excellence or the dining experience.

 

A huge downside for me is that the pizza oven on Riviera displaced the ice cream/smoothie area, forcing it past Waves, midship, exposed to the elements. So every morning when I'd get my Sun Salutation smoothie and it was colder or raining the smoothie maker would be dressed in winter gear or a rain coat, while people were hit with rain or blowing cold wind. I felt so sorry some mornings for the Indonesian man making the smoothies. He knew my order so if he see me he'd wave and call out that he'd make it. I'd come back to get it in a couple minutes.

[pinotlover]

A great pizza is built by :

 

1. The crust;

2. Quality of the sauce;

3. Quality of the ingredients.

 

While O does fine with the crust normally, they fall miserably with the sauce. Made to satisfy the NoNos , it’s bland and uninspiring. Totally omitting many of the herbs and spices normally found with quality pizzas leaves that grocery store effect mentioned above. Clo, as the name of a tv series implies “ Curb your enthusiasm “. The pizzas are OK, but nothing to get excited about. 

[clo]

34 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Indonesian

Would he have like it better if he were of a different nationality?

 

BTW I could be wrong about this but I thought I read here that the new pizza oven is used at dinner not lunch. ?

[pinotlover]

1 minute ago, clo said:

Would he have like it better if he were of a different nationality?

 

BTW I could be wrong about this but I thought I read here that the new pizza oven is used at dinner not lunch. ?

On the Riviera, in Waves, they offer pizza from the oven by the slice at lunch. These are made with a couple of selections. At dinner, one can order whole pizza from a different menu or place a specialty order. All of this different from the horrid things served in the Terrace.

[WESTEAST]

Last month, we were on a Riviera cruise (Japan and South Korea).  We enjoyed the pizza for dinner - placed our order in Waves and they served us in the Terrace. They made our pizza customized to our requested ingredients and it was delicious. A big improvement over what is served in the Terrace at lunch time.  

[clo]

35 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

A great pizza is built by :

 

1. The crust;

2. Quality of the sauce;

3. Quality of the ingredients.

 

While O does fine with the crust normally, they fall miserably with the sauce. Made to satisfy the NoNos , it’s bland and uninspiring. Totally omitting many of the herbs and spices normally found with quality pizzas leaves that grocery store effect mentioned above. Clo, as the name of a tv series implies “ Curb your enthusiasm “. The pizzas are OK, but nothing to get excited about. 

I watched that show once and was very unimpressed.

 

I used to be on a food site and we talked about how 'feeding the masses' was not going to make US 🙂 happy. I call it LCD - lowest common denominator food. Thanks P-L

[Harters]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Did you have slices or a whole pizza?

We each had a whole pizza - the mushroom one and the vegetarian one.

 

I also had the starter of burrata, tomato and Palma ham which, in Waves defence, was excellent

[ORV]

I really wouldn’t put any stock in what you read on the book of misinformation. It’s enough to make your head explode. 

[Kay S]

Well, this might be good news for my pizza loving friend.  We will be on the Nautica in the fall.  I can take or leave pizza generally, so not a big deal for me.

[MEFIowa]

17 hours ago, clo said:

Would he have like it better if he were of a different nationality?

 

BTW I could be wrong about this but I thought I read here that the new pizza oven is used at dinner not lunch?

In your haste to be negative you chose to overlook my words. But I was clear: NIGHT. That means dinner:

 

"Ate one of the whole pizzas from Riviera's pizza oven place at Waves in Nov 2023, on the last night before we came into Barcelona." [NIGHT]

 

And having lived in the Philippines (1990-91), just north of Indonesia, most S. Asians in these tropical areas do not enjoy winter or cold weather. Completely foreign to their native lands.

[clo]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

In your haste to be negative

This is a subject I want to be positive.

 

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

And having lived in the Philippines (1990-91), just north of Indonesia, most S. Asians in these tropical areas do not enjoy winter or cold weather. Completely foreign to their native lands.

That was my being sarcastic. Why would one's nationality be mentioned?

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, clo said:

This is a subject I want to be positive.

 

That was my being sarcastic. Why would one's nationality be mentioned?

The employee HATED working in the cold and wetness on bad days. We talked about it. He was miserable. Who wants to have cold wind whipping across you at your workstation, wearing a raincoat and rain hat? AND I, the passenger, HATED having to wait in the elements for a smoothie. All because they added a mediocre pizza operation that forced the move of the smoothie station forward.

[clo]

25 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

The employee HATED working in the cold and wetness on bad days. We talked about it. He was miserable. Who wants to have cold wind whipping across you at your workstation, wearing a raincoat and rain hat?

I don't believe that SE Asians, or Indonesians or really anyone in the world would want that. And they should put in for a new job at the appropriate time.

 

I did a very little reading and it appears that the major markets for smoothies are the under 45 people and those who drink them for health reasons. Not exactly the poster children for cruisers. 

 

Did a little more reading and saw that pizza is the #1 food in the world and the US.  Ya know, I think I'll hold these two hands.

[ORV]

So, Nautica does have an evening pizza setup, I’ll try to have it in a day or two. Maybe tonight after the Captain’s party. I’ll be in great shape to judge it by then. So far I’ve had 2 meals in the Terrace and 1 in Waves. They’ve all been pretty good 👍. Strawberries, blackberries, mango and pineapple were all delicious this AM. 

[jonthomas]

On Regatta in Sept, so no pizza oven, I think. But that's OK. Next 4 cruises on Vista.

 

A lot of our good pizza places have gone under, others charge 22 dollars for a small, but that's canada.

 

Of course we still have pizza pizza, domino's, etc. But that's not good pizza to me.

 

Best pizza I've ever had, Amalfi coast restaurants....in Cinque Terre, too, probably everywhere in Italy.

[Vallesan]

6 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

……..

Best pizza I've ever had, Amalfi coast restaurants....in Cinque Terre, too, probably everywhere in Italy.

Ahh! You take me  back to a heart shaped pizza served by a dishy Italian waiter in a tiny restaurant on the Adriatic coast in 1966! Memories!

[Harters]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

probably everywhere in Italy.

My absolute best ever pizza was at the Pizzeria Bardolino, in Bardolino on Lake Garda. Just everything I want from a pizza - tasty crisp base, lovely tomato sauce, traditional toppings, not overdone in quantity. And they started you off with an aperitivo and finished with a digestivo. 

 

And, noting Vallesan's "dishy waiter", pizza were served by attractive waitresses - long legs, short skirts. Can't quite understand why, but it was a very popular lunch place for young Italian men. 😃

[pinotlover]

Authentic foods, from regions of origin, with fresh ingredients including appropriate herbs and spices, is extremely difficult for ship food to surpass. 
 

When preparing food for the masses ( including the NoNos) aboard ship has to compete against those only concerned with excellence, the judged winner ( except by those NoNos) is easily predicted.

[clo]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Authentic foods, from regions of origin, with fresh ingredients including appropriate herbs and spices, is extremely difficult for ship food to surpass. 
 

When preparing food for the masses ( including the NoNos) aboard ship has to compete against those only concerned with excellence, the judged winner ( except by those NoNos) is easily predicted.

We've done some escorted land trips over the last ten years or so. Whenever we can if there's a "group dinner" scheduled we break away and do our own thing. Mostly the food is pretty ho-hum as the no-no's would complain. But the other thing is trying to serve 20-40 people at the same time just doesn't work. But those breakaways DO work.

 

[patty1955]

21 hours ago, pinotlover said:

 

When preparing food for the masses ( including the NoNos) aboard ship has to compete against those only concerned with excellence, the judged winner ( except by those NoNos) is easily predicted.

Who or what are NoNos? I get that it's derogatory but what does it mean? 

[pinotlover]

36 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

Who or what are NoNos? I get that it's derogatory but what does it mean? 

Nothing derogatory at all. Purely a matter of taste and preferences. A significant portion of Oceania’s customers want their dishes with No onions, no garlic, no basil, no thyme, no oregano, no paprika, no curries, no peppers, and no rubs on their meats. No, No, No, No-Nos. They prefer their foods what many of the rest of us consider bland and mostly tasteless. So the challenge for the kitchen is how do they satisfy both groups with the same dish? A Margherita pizza, for example, comes naturally with fresh basil , and one has an expectation that is does. Should you be served one with out, because the NoNos prefers it that way, or should they have to pick them out? A dilemma.

Edited August 26 by pinotlover

[patty1955]

Just now, pinotlover said:

Nothing derogatory at all. Purely a matter of taste and preferences. A significant portion of Oceania’s customers want their dishes with No onions, no garlic, no basil, no thyme, no oregano, no paprika, no curries, no peppers, and no rubs on their meats. No, No, No, No-Nos. They prefer their foods what many of the rest of us consider bland and mostly tasteless. So the challenge for the kitchen is how do they satisfy both groups with the same dish? A Margherita pizza, for example, comes naturally with fresh basil . Should you be served one with out, because the NoNos prefers it that way, or should they have to pick them out? A dilemma.

Thank you for the explanation. Isn't a Margherita pizza without basil a cheese pizza?

Consider us YesYes'. If it's not moving, we'll try it (my husband might even try it if it's moving). I've been eating kim chee for last few years to allow me to start eating hot foods. We're going to Phuket next year and I'm looking forward to the Thai foods!